sbm1204 - Scale Auto

11 12
Detail the front grille area with flat black paint, thinned to the consistency
of lowfat milk and flowed onto the grille area. The plated
headlights adopt a more-realistic appearance when painted with flat
silver paint. Note the brilliance of the original plated parts from the
Revell factory.
Cars from this era had wonderful (and occasionally over-the-top)
detailing. Note the semiflat black front fender insert above the
bumper, which wore gold anodized series nomenclature, and the
detailed badge on the upper driver’s side of the grille area.
15
NO JUNIORS HERE
“There’s not a junior edition in the whole family.”
That assertive statement from the 1962 Chrysler
brochure summed up the marketing philosophy of
Chrysler Corporation’s near-luxury brand in the 1960s.
As competitors Buick and Mercury proffered compacts,
and later, intermediate-sized cars to meet the
broadening tastes of car buyers in the 1960s, Chrysler saw
an opportunity to retain and convey exclusivity and caché
by offering only full-size cars.
But that wasn’t quite all of the story.
The bird’s-eye view shows off the interior engraving and your kit-finishing
skills. Even Chrysler’s most inexpensive models of the 1960s
had premium interiors. Check out the ashtray in the center for the
front seatback – another detail for your Bare-Metal foiling efforts.
Note the realistic appearance of the flocked carpet areas.
SOURCES
MCW Automotive Finishes, Box 0518, Burlington NC 27216-0518,
www.ourworld.cs.com/mcwautofinishes
Eastwood Automotive, 263 Shoemaker Rd., Pottstown PA 19464
(800) 345-1178, www.eastwoodcompany.com
Micro-Mark, 340 Snyder Ave., Berkeley Heights NJ 07922-1595
(800) 225-1066, www.micromark.com
REFERENCES
Collecting Model Car and Truck Kits, pp. 45 and 64, by Tim Boyd, 2001,
MBI Publishing, St. Paul MN
In 1961, the DeSoto brand, arrayed between Dodge
and Chrysler in Mopar’s lineup, was near death. Chrysler
Corporation hedged its bets by adding a lower-priced
entry-level Newport series to its Chrysler lineup to cover
the market DeSoto was to soon abandon. Price always
sells cars, and the Newport was an immediate success. For
1962, Chrysler dropped the slightly-more-expensive
Windsor series and positioned Newport as the highest-volume
Chrysler offering.
These captions from the brochure tell it best:
“Newport – Chrysler’s price surprise is no junior edition.
Newport’s surprisingly low price has caused thousands of
smart car buyers to move up to Chrysler. And because
Chrysler builds full-size cars only, your new-car investment
is fully protected. No small car steals thunder from
the Chrysler name, or the pride you take in owning one!”
And next to the Newport Convertible is this description:
“Newport convertible is obviously a full-size Chrysler
and nothing else but – the kind of car you’d like to see your
family in. And you can. This glamorous Newport, shown
in the exciting new Caramel shade, has a surprisingly
low price, too.”
– Tim Boyd
48 Scale Auto • DECEMBER 2004